ThinkQuest Internet Challenge Team. "Birmingham, Alabama." The Civil Rights Movement. Web. 5 May 2011. <http://library.thinkquest.org>.
Event
May 2nd 1963 in Birmingham Alabama
Known as "Bomingham" because many black churches were bombed
1,000 A.A kids marched in Children's crusade
Sang we shall overcome
Sprayed with high power hosees that ripped off clothes
959 boys and girls were arressted
Led to people being disgusted with how the government was dealing with the protests
Eventually on May 10 A.A. and whites met to discuss integration
Boerst, William J. Marching in Birmingham. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2008. Print.
Event
A.A. kept retaliating towards the police so the police let out the dogs
JFK criticized protestors "School children participating in street demonstrations is a dangerous business. An injured, maimes or dead child is a price that none of us can afford."
"Children’s Crusade ." Martin Luther King Jr. and the Golobal Freedom Struggle.
N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011. <http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/
encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_childrens_crusade/>.
EVENT
- 1963 attempt to desegregate Birmingham Alabama
- Children were recruited for demonstrations.
- Adults were scared of participating in demonstrations and losing their jobs while children had nothing to lose.
- Trained high school children the tactics of nonviolent direct action
- On May 2nd thousands of African American Children skipped classes - Gathered at Sixth Street Baptist Church to march to downtown Birmingham.
- Hundreds were immediately arrested
- Gathered the next day to march again
- Bull Conner directed the local police to stop the demonstration
- Children were blasted by high pressure water hoses
- Clubbed by police officers
- And attacked by police dogs
- On the night of May 3rd Martian Luther King offered encouragement to the parents of the young protesters with a speech... “Don’t worry about your children; they are going to be alright. Don’t hold them back if they want to go to jail, for they are not only doing a job for themselves, but for all of America and for all of mankind.”
- Ended on May 10th when SCLC agreed to desegregate downtown stores and release all protesters from jail.
- Birmingham Board of Education said that all children who participated in the movement were to be expelled.
- NAACP took this to court
IMPACT
- The success in Birmingham provided momentum for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights act.
Activists called this movement "Project C," the "c" representing confrontation
Once Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested, he wrote a letter from prison entitled "Letter From Birmingham Jail," thus justifying this movement
In early May, activists began to recruit children to participate in marches and by the end of the first day, 700 marchers had been arrested
Following the first day, 1000 children arrived to protest peacefully and the segregationist Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor turned fire hoses and police dogs on them
After 5 days, 2500 protesters were arrested, 200 being children
Birmingham business leaders made a compromise 38 days after the confrontation began, promising to desegregate public buildings and start an employment program for African Americans
Wallace says the deal wasn't made by legitimate leaders of Birmingham
Klan bombs MLK's hotel, though he left earlier, which led to violence where civilians were beaten by police
Riots follow and spread through the nation, reinforcing the fact that peaceful protesting has its limits
Event
Boerst, William J. Marching in Birmingham. Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2008. Print.
Event
"Children’s Crusade ." Martin Luther King Jr. and the Golobal Freedom Struggle.
N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2011. <http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/
encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_childrens_crusade/>.
EVENT
- 1963 attempt to desegregate Birmingham Alabama
- Children were recruited for demonstrations.
- Adults were scared of participating in demonstrations and losing their jobs while children had nothing to lose.
- Trained high school children the tactics of nonviolent direct action
- On May 2nd thousands of African American Children skipped classes
- Gathered at Sixth Street Baptist Church to march to downtown Birmingham.
- Hundreds were immediately arrested
- Gathered the next day to march again
- Bull Conner directed the local police to stop the demonstration
- Children were blasted by high pressure water hoses
- Clubbed by police officers
- And attacked by police dogs
- On the night of May 3rd Martian Luther King offered encouragement to the parents of the young protesters with a speech... “Don’t worry about your children; they are going to be alright. Don’t hold them back if they want to go to jail, for they are not only doing a job for themselves, but for all of America and for all of mankind.”
- Ended on May 10th when SCLC agreed to desegregate downtown stores and release all protesters from jail.
- Birmingham Board of Education said that all children who participated in the movement were to be expelled.
- NAACP took this to court
IMPACT
- The success in Birmingham provided momentum for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights act.
PBS Online. "American Experience.Eyes on the Prize.The Story of the Movement | PBS."PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. PBS, 1997-2006. Web. 06 May 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/07_c.html>.
Context
Event